Mail-bag for railway service.



* No. 756,135. PATEN'I'ED 'MAR. 29, 1904.

P. L. NEIL. MAIL BAG FOR RAILWAY SERVICE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 13. 1902. N0 MODEL.

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- drop down when the bag is arranged in the Patented March 29, 1904.

PATENT 'OFFICE.

PRYOR L.-NEIL, or BOISE, IDAHO,

MAIL-BAG FOR RAILWAY SERVICE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 756,135, dated March 29, 1904.

Application filed June 13,1902. SerialNo. 111,563. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be-it known that I, PRYoR L. NEIL, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Boise, in the county of Ada and State of Idaho, have invented a new and useful Mail-Bag for Railway Service, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings as constituting a part thereof.

My invention relates to mail-bags and the means for delivering and catching the same from a traveling mail-car; and my invention has for its object to obtain amail-bag suitable for the service required of it and to provide means for holding the same in proper position for delivering and picking up while mail-train passes a station. 7

The style of bag-carrying device to be provided on the crane at the station and also on the railway-car resembles in its general character the well-known catcher-arm.

In the'drawings above referred to, Figure 1 represents my improved mail-bag. Fig. 2 shows perspectively a tray holding my mailbag on the mail-bar in position to be delivered at the station. Fig. 3 is a plan view of the articulated fastener for the mouth of the bag. Fig. 4 is a detail of the construction of such fastener. Fig. 5 is a section on the line 00 m of Fig. 1, and Fig. 6 is a detail of the under side of the bottom of the tray E.

The letters designate the parts referred to.

The bag A is constructed of canvas or other suitable material. is securely sewed or riveted a socket B, constructed of leather or other suitable flexible material and lined with a metal tube .6, so as to keep the socket open and also to prevent the wear of such socket. In the socket is inserted a straight member 0 of the ring C. Such straight memberc is longer than the socket B, the object of which construction is to give the ring C some play, so that it may be arranged that either of the sides 0 or 0 will position in which it is shown in Fig. 2. The

' portion 0 of the ring 0 is thickened, so as to At the bottom of the bag tongue (Z To hold the mailbag in proper position for the catcher arm or. hook to enter the eye of "is resting on the tray. Such ring-holding means consist of angular portions gand the spring f, bearing against the .former and adapted to clamp the dependent portion of the ring when the mail-bag is arranged as shown in Fig. 2. The described ring-holding contrivances are provided on both the side and bottom of the tray E, so that the tray is reversible. and thus adapted to be used on either side of the car. One of my trays or supports is provided on the car and other of similar construction on a crane or other suitable support at the station.

The tray used on the car should be slidably o removably supported by any suitable means, (not deemed necessary to show in this application,) so that the same may be removed when not in service.

In using my improved mail-bagit is necessary that the mail car be provided with a catcher-arm, and the crane at the station must also be provided with a suitable arm adapted, like the catcher-arm, to enter the eye of the ringv C and pick up the mail-bag Aofl the tray as the train speeds by. A suitable means for this purpose forms the subject of a separate application for Letters Patent by me, the application of which bears date June 6, 1902, and is hereby referred to. The utility of my improved mail-bag is also fully explained n my said concurrent application for Letters Patent.

As the mouth or open end of the mail-bag will be subjected to considerable strain, I have provided for the same a fastener D, consisting of a jointed metal strap of three or more jointed curved links, a plate d provided with a staple (Z a slotted hasp 6Z and leather In order to make such fastener strong and difiicult to tamperwith, the same is constructed of one piece bent over curved links, as illustrated by d d in Fig. 4. The plate d in Fig. 3 is riveted to the materialof the bag bymeans of the staple 03 having reduced ends inserted through perforations in said plate d and like perforations in a plate (i said staple ends being riveted, and the tongue Z of leather, is provided to be inserted through the link 0K to pull the fastener tightly around the material when closing the mouth of the bag, so that the slotted hasp or member (11 may be inserted over the staple d and the hasp secured by a lock in the usual manner. The impact of the carrier-arm with the ring C will cause a considerable strain on the socket B and the fastening of the same that is, the stitching or riveting thereof to the pouch. To distribute such strain as evenly as possible, the bottom of the pouch consists of a straight fold a, as shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 5. In the usual round-bottom pouch the strain on such fastening of the socket B would be too uneven and by reason thereof such socket would be more apt to be pulled off.

Having fully described my invention, now what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a mail-bag, the combination with the pouch of a socket, B, attached at the bottom thereof, a stiffening and wear lining for the socket, and a D-shaped ring in such socket, the latter being of lesser length than the width of the ring, so that such ring is movable endwise, substantially as described.

2. In a mail-bag, the combination with the pouch of a socket, B, attached at the bottom thereof, a stiffening and wear lining for the socket, and a D-shaped ring, C, in said socket, the latter being of lesser length than the width of the ring, so that such ring is movable endwise, and the said ring, C, having a thickened portion 0 for the purpose specified, substantially as described.

3. In a mail-bag the combination of a pouch having a straight-fold bottom, the socket, B,

attached to such bottom, a stiffening and wear lining for such socket, and a D-shaped ring in such socket, the latter being of lesser length than the width of the ring, so that such ring is movable endwise, substantially as described.

4. The combination with the mouth of the pouch of an encircling fastening therefor consisting of'a plurality of flat, curved metal links, d d d, each made in one piece, bent together and provided with a socket, (Z at one end, in which are inserted the vertical bars, d", of the contiguous link, the folded plate, d fastened to the pouch and provided with a socket, (Z holding the link d, a staple, d hasp d and tongue d, substantially as described.

5. A mail-bag consisting of a pouch having a straight-fold bottom, a socket, B, attached to such bottom, a stiffening and wear lining for such socket, a D-shaped ring in said socket, the latter being of lesser length than the width of the ring, so that the ring is movable endwise, and an encircling fastener for the mouth of the pouch consisting of a plurality of flat, curved metal links, ddcl, each made in one piece, bent together and provided with a socket, d, at one end in which are inserted the vertical bars, (i of the contiguous link, the folded plate, J, fastened to the pouch and provided with a socket, 01, holding the link 03 a staple, 0Z hasp d and tongue d substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto affixed my signature, in the presence of two witnesses, this 6th day of June, 1902.

PRYOR L. NEIL.

Witnesses:

T. J. GEISLER, EMMA HOWATSON. 

